Arsenal and Newcastle to fight it out for Benjamin Corgnet

Arsenal have joined Newcastle in the race for exciting young French midfielder Benjamin Corgnet.

The 24-year-old is currently plying his trade for Ligue 1 side Dijon, who plucked him from obscurity when they signed him in the summer of 2010 from France’s fifth division.

Dijon’s Corgnet could be Arsene Wenger’s latest French recruit (Getty)

Corgnet has proved himself to be a talented attacking player in the top flight and is now attracting interest from the Premier League.

Observers rate him as one of France’s top all-round players, as he is renowned for his work rate and defensive contribution as well as his ability to score goals. He has found the net eight times already this season.

Caught Offside believes he could be the next Frenchman to be snapped up by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger , who took a similar punt on unproven Laurent Koscielny when he signed on at the Emirates two years ago.

However, the north London outfit will be fought all the way by Alan Pardew’s high-flying Magpies, who also have a strong reputation for giving a chance to promising youngsters.

The north-east side have taken on Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and Sylvain Marveaux from French clubs in recent years, with a significant degree of success in most cases.